Means for automatic electromagnetic wet separation



March 28, 1933. H. B. ARDEN `1,902,938

, MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC ELECTROMAGNETIC WET SEPARATION original Filed June 14, 1909 4,'sneets-sneet 1' 30 E (43: 13 *156 I. d5 J 23 11 '1 -f/Z |NvENToR:

H. B. ARDEN March 28, *19332 MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC ELECTROMAGNETIC WET SEPARATION Original Filed Junel4 1909 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. B. ARDEN March 28, 1933.

MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC ELECTROMAGNETIC WET SEPARATION original Filed June 14,1909 4 sheets-sheet 3 H. B. ARDEN March 28, 1933.

MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC ELECTROMAGNETIC WET SEPARATIONy 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Jne 14 1909 /MMJ if c ,7M 1 H. u 4.a/ 0, F M -J Jl, g g i w, L rllll 432 1. I.. l. F @n @n Patented Mar. 28, 1933 HARRY is. Annan, F New ioni?, Y; `v

MEANS Ynon AU'roMATro ELECTROMAGNETI `WET 'sErnATIoN Rele of application Serial No.

502,117, med June 14, ieoarms'appiipation 'inea oc'mberv 11,;1928.

serial no. 311,870. Renewed February 24, 1932*.- .i

, l The object of myinvention is toprovide an apparatus whichmay .beused toseparate the magnetic from the non-magnetic 'matter carried with a downwardly flowing stream. of.

water. The magnetic substance maybe in finely crushed ore, the magnetite of black sand deposits, or any other finely divided magnetic substance which can be carried within a stream of water.` lThis and other objects are accomplished by.. my invention,

some embodiments of which are hereinafter more particularly set forth.V

For a more detailed description of my'invention, reference is to be had-to the accompanying which 1 Y Figure 1 is a front elevation of oneembodiment of my invention.

Figure .2 is a similar view with the feed hopper and stream guides removed.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1.H

Figure4 is an enlarged sectional viewof a portion ofthe apparatus shown'inuFigure 3.

v Figure 5 is a front elevation of a multiple apparatus to be used for a double separation.

Figure 6 shows the front plate and ore 4ducts of 1 a `modification of the apparatus shown in Figure v1,4which is to be used to segregate the strongly from the Weaklymagnetic substances. 1

Figure 7 shows a further modification wherein but one feed hopper is used with one long stream guide.

Figure 8 shows a front view ofthe hopper and stream guide shown in F'igure 7.

Figure 9 is a sectional view, takenon the line 9 9 of Figure 8.

Figures 10 to 14 inclusive show details of myimproved hopper and stream guide, Fig-- ure 11 being a sectional view, taken on the `line `11'--11 of Figure 10; Figure 12 is a 4top plan View of a hopper and Figures 13 `and 14 are bottom views of stream' guides, Figure 14 differing from Figure 13 only in havingside walls :converging slightly, as shown.

Figure 15 isa diagrammaticview ofthe `electricalconnections and circuits.

drawingsforming apart hereof, in

'of shallow tlhroug 1;hout'.t,he various views ofthe drawings, similarl reference characters designate similar parts.` f I l'JMyimprovedvseparating-apparatus 11 is provided. withy a mixture 17 p of water and '55 magnetic ore bearingmmaterial, fluidenough to flow freely, whichis supplied through the pipes 12 andiscontrolled in quantity by the` valves 13, passinggtherefrom through outlets 14 into'v the top hoppers 15 and throughnar- :60

row passages at the bottom of thehoppers,

whichlpassages fjoin thestream guides 16,

which guide Athe stream down Vtheir inner surfaces andinto4 the next 4lower'hoppers 15.

Thefluid mixture of ore andwater from y the outlets 14 into'the top hoppersl4 should be in sufficient quantityto fill the hoppers so that an .overflow will occur at thelips 15a` into.l the overflow tubes 18l attached toffthe front of each` hopper and stream guide,` the surplus water goingintojthe next lower. hop-` per to compensate for magnetic substances .withdrawnfro'm thestream. This overflow vshould take 'place successively from upper t0 lower hoppers, thus-.maintaining any even pressurel through passages 19,. thus `assuring a smooth, unbroken downward gliding stream pore and water within the streamy guides The passages-19terminateand join with "80 the stream guides-16Vv which are in the form v troughshaving `front walls 20 and sides 21, `the open backs being toward the magnetic source., These hoppers and stream guides are mountedzso that the walls 20 are inclined slightly fromthevertical, as

lshown in Figures 3 and 4, the objectbeing to cause the' falling streamf of ore and vwater -to impinge and flow in a kSmoothstream with'- in the coninesof the stream. guides 16. '90

The walls of thehoppersfl have Vhoolfrs 15b, or other means providedv for attaching them tothe oreV troughs 22, whichV are fixed to the front ofshield plates 23 which are attached in vertical position to the frames 24 of the apparatus. These "ore ducts each have a sloping floor vsuiiciently inclined to be self clearingfwhen a stream passes over it. Backeof the plate 23 are seriesN of electromagnets designated .generically thecharl 101 acter 25 and specifically according'to the systems in which they are connected, there being, inthe embodiment shown, four of these systems numbered 1 to 4y inclusive, as

shown in Figure 15. These magnets are alsoV4 supported by the frame 24 in any suitable manner', but preferablywith their pole pieces against the back of the plate 23, as shown, and they are rigidly mounted and separated from all water by this plate.

The support 24,*the plate 23, the stream.

l duide 16, the hoppers and the overflow magnets 25. g

' perforated pipes 28 'as indicated in Figure j tems, in :the embodiment shown,

magnet v'is not energized the suitable source,

tubes V18,' aswell as `the pipes ,12, valves 13 and outlets 14 andy all other'parts, should be made of non-magnetic material, theronlyV magnetic material that fis employed'in the apparatus being that lofthev cores 26 of the Wash water 27 visf supplied through suitable perforated `pipes 28 from'verticalpipes 29 lgoverned byv a val-ve 30 and one of these is preferably located, 4, just; above the level of the adjacent magnet 25, so that when'the of water will wash'thev ore, which is free, or substantiallyfree of silicaiorother impurities, into the ore duct-22, from whence it is drained through drain pipes 31 into 'a y ysuitablev receptacle 32, whe're it is received and held ready ranged" in fourseries so that every fourth bar is connected to the first system, the next series has every fourthbar connected in the second system, the third series'has vevery fourth bar connectedl andina similar manner, thel fourth series has everyfourth bar connected, and so, in the' embodiment'shown, the commutatory has segments in multiples of four allco'nnected as indicated. The first system isfconnected to the proper part of the commutator by a Ywire 41 which runs to a lead in wire of the magnet 1. In a similar 'lead in 'wire44.

manner,l the second series has a wire 42 which runs to the lead in ywire'of the magnet 2 and similarly the third systeml has a lead in' wire 43 and the fourth system a The commutator is run in such a way that the magnets are properly energized beginning withv1, 2 and 3, then 2, 3 and 4, then 3, 4-and ,1, then 4,v land 2, so that three are always energized Vand fone 'is deenergized. Y The time ofenergizing each Y magnet will vary according tov the flow.,V and abundant flow divided into four` sys#l of the respective magnets andV nature ofthe ore'beingtreated and under Y the usual conditions of servicethe time each magnet will be energized will be substantially three-quarters Aof a second andV it will be deenergized for one-quarter of a second; As long as each magnet is energized it will hold the orel adjacent theretoon the plateV 23 and close to its poleVV pieces 26 andthe instant it is deenergized the abundant stream of Water'27 will cause it to fall into the ore duct 22, as'above stated. f Y

The advantage of having the magnets lfunction intheorder above described, is that at allwtimes the material must passi through the magnetic field of an energized magnet and nothing will pass free thereof.

` If themagnets were energized in the opposite way, it might be that at times orev be` -tween systems 1 and 2 would pass free `of .all magnetism during the instantthat the first system is deenergized and thereby permit loss of values. n I

The lowest overflow tube 18, as well as the lowest stream guide 16, drain into the outlet pipe 45 which carries away the tailings from the apparatus and also the excess water.

In view offthelforegoing, the operation of l this embodiment of my inventionv will` be y readily understood. Assuming that a flow of water is maintained through the pipes 29 and a flow o-f water and sand bearing ore through Y Y the'pipes 12 and a suitable electric current passes through the magnets, as above set forth, the action is as follows. kThe hoppers 15 fill rapidly and immediately the mouths` of the outlets 14 are submerged and an overflow into and through the overflow tubes 18 takes place. As the magnets 25 are successively energized, the ferrous or other magnetic material accumulates on the front of the plate 23 while non-magnetic material is lcarried into the neXt lower hopper 15 until thek end of the apparatus is reached. vThe magnetic ore is released the instant the magnet is-deenei-gizedand is washed downby the stream 27 into the ore duct 22 from whence it is passed to the drain 31, as above set forth.

If some of the magnetic material gets bythe lirst magnet 25, it willbe caught ybyoneof the lower magnets in the mannerjust de` scribed, so that after the material has passed the last magnet its separation is practically complete `under normal conditions.' To fur-V ther concentrate the separated material, the apparatus described below is employed;

In Figure 5 is shown a modification Where.;

inthere are two sets of hoppers 15 and stream guides 16 as wellas overflow tubes 18, mounted side by side, all functioning precisely as above described, the waste water and gangue escaping by drain pipes 45, as above set forth. The ore which is caught in the upper ore ducts 22 is passed-into a suitable tank 46 pro-v vided with agitating jets through nozzles 47 andthe excess water is drained from the tank 46 by means of a suitable drainV 48 which runs to apipe45. From the'bottom'of the tanlr 48,

pipes 12 run precisely as above described, and the ore is further concentrated'by this lower apparatus, precisely as shown in Figure l.

AIn Figure 6 the ore and water pipesare omitted asV wellas thetroughs 16 and attached parts and only'fthe plate 23 is shown together with the ore ducts 22 which are divided into two series oflthree each, as appears on the drawings. The upper seriesis provided with magnets vwhich functionV exactly `as above described, so as to 'draw off the strongly magnetic material from the stream precisely in the manner above indicated, and this is drained through the pipe 3l into a. suitable receptacle 32. The three lower magnets associated with the `three lower ore ducts 22 have a much'stronger magnetic flux, so as to recover the weakermagnetic material which otherwise would escape, and this drains into a receptacle 49. Thisembodiment of my in-v vention is useful where it is desired to segrevalues other than that of iron.

In the embodimentlof` my invent'on shown in Figures 7 to 9 inclusive one long stream guide 5() drains the hopper 15 and instead of one plate 23 a series of short plates 5l are gate weakly magnetic material carrying employed, each one overlapping the lower, as

y indicated, and these plates andthe stream v(El) guide convergetowards the bottom of each plate by reason of the slope of the stream guide 50, so lthat the stream will follow an inclined surface-and have a smooth, sw'ft descent through the successive magnetic fields of the magnets. At the bottom the water and sand drain out through a pipe l5 and the ore passes with some water through another pipe The structure of Figure 14 shows converging side walls which more effectively confine the stream than the straight walls of Figure 13. The advantage is slight but substantial as all tendency of the stream to climb the sidewalls is thereby eliminated.

While I have shown and described some embodiments of my invention, it is obvious that it is not restricted thereto, but that it is broad enough to cover all structures that come within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. Means for automatic, electromagnetic,V

wet separation which consists of means for passing downwardly a substantially vertical, smooth-flowing stream of magnetic ore and water through intermittent magnetic fields7 and means for creating such fields whereby the magnetic material of thestream may be separated from the rest of the stream.

2. Means for automatic, electro-magnetic, wet separation which consists of means for passing downwardly a substantially vertical,

' smooth-flowing stream of magnetic ore and water through intermittent magnetic fields,

means for creating'such fields andholding magnetic material intermittently thereinand means for washing 'downf the ore whenl released.

passing downwardly a substantially vertical, smooth-flowing stream :of magnetic ore 4and water vthrough intermittent magnetic fields,

Y 1roY l 3. Means for automatic, electro-magnetic, j V 'wet separation which consists ...of means for said-passing means including troughs with inclined edges and meansfor creating such fields, whereby the magnetic material of the stream stream. Y

4. Means for automatic, electro-magnetic, `wet separation which consists ofl means `for passing downwardly a substantially vertical,

smooth-fiowing stream'of magnetic Vore and maybe separated from the rest ofthe water through intermittent kmagnetic fields, '5

said passing means beingopen towards the source of magnetic flux and `means for create ing such fields,.whereby themagnetic ma- Vterialof the stream may be separated from the rest of the stream.y

5.V Means for automatic,electromagnetic, o

wet separation which `consists of means for passing downwardly a substantially vertical,"

smooth-flowing'stream of magnetic ore and water through a succession of intermittent magnetic fields and means for creating such fields with a series of magnets, successively energized while the apparatusis in operation,

whereby the magnetic material of the stream m Y may be separated from the rest ofthe stream. 6. Meansfor automatic, electro-magnetic, wet separation which consists Aof means vfor passing downwardly a substantially vertical, smooth-flowing stream of magnetic ore and; m5

smooth-flowingstream of magnetic ore and water through aplurality lof intermittent magnetic fields and means forcreating such arplurality of magnetic fields, whereby the magneticmaterial ofthe stream `may becontinuously separated fromfthe `rest of thestream.

8. Means for automatic, electro-magnetic,

[wet separation which consists ofmeansfor passing downwardly a substantially vertical, Af

smooth-flowing stream of magnetic oreA and water through intermittent magnetic li'elds,

means yfor 1 catchingv andl holding .thesepaf rated oreand its accompanyingwater,"means for.l agitatmg such miXture, and magnetic means V,for further concentrating this miX- ture.

.- 9. Means for automatic, electro-magnetic,

wet separation Vwhich vconsists-of means Vfor Vpassing downwardly a substantially. vertical, smooth-flowing'stream of magnetic-ore v.12. Means for automatic,

'and water through intermittent magnetic fields and means'for creating such fields with 'different magnetic intensities, whereby. magnetic material of one strength ,mayv bevsepa- Vrated Jfrom a magnetic'material of another strength. Y y

10. A hopper terminating at its lower portionin along and' narrow. passage, said pasvsage having its front wall and side walls eX- tended to form .a shallow trough open toward the rear,.an overflow opening at the top front `wall Vof this hopper connecting with a tube attached lengthwise to the ront'of the hop.- per and thefront wall of the shallow trough and means for supporting the hopperin an operative position. Y

11. A hopperterminating at its lower portion in a long `.and narrow passage, said pas-V wet separation which a substantially. vertipassing downwardly',

cal smooth-flowing stream of magnetic Aorer and water ,throughy .intermittent magnetic iields, means orcreating intermittent inagnetic fields and ore'catching receptacles with inclined bottoms adapted'to receive concentrated ore and water-and drain. the same and be self clearing. I I .Y Y

13. Means for automatic, electro-magnetic,

`.wet separation which consists of-ineans for directing a falling stream oiL magnetic ore and Vwater in a path inclined from the vertical and through themagnetic iields of a plumagnets mounted in a vertical tier, means for successively and intermittently energizing nets 'against water vand separated ore, means for furnishing water against one surface of said protecting means and means :for receiving ore coliected against and released from said protecting means..

15. Means for'automatic, electro-magnetic,

wetseparation whichconsists' ofva surfacer and'means for passing downwardly, on this surface, a substantially vertical stream 1 of magnetic ore and water, a. cooperating sur-'1 face backed by a series of electro-magnets and means for energizing said :magnets successively so as to cause av separation of magnetic material from the remainder-ofthe stream. Y

16. Means for automatic, electromagnetic, wet separationvwliich consists of a surface- -and means for passing downwardly, on this surface, a substantially verticalv stream of magnetic ore and water, .a cooperating surface, adapted to receive magnetic ore, backed by a series of electro-magnets, means for energizing said magnetssuccessively and lmeans for washing the ore receiving surfacesoas to free it of magnetic material upon thev re.-y

lease of theinagnetism which holds it.

In testimonyvwhereof, I have hereunto set day oi.Y October, 1928..

liana this 9a I lininnv B. Annataralityot` magnets mounted in vertical tier and l successively and intermittently energized f from the lowest up, means forso `energizing said magnets, non-magnetic and waterproof meansV carried vertically in contact with vthe i polesof the magnets and'between themand the falling stream of ore and water, `means between nonemagnetic shield and falling stream for receiving magnetic material withdrawn from thel stream and means for furnishing water oriremoval of said separat- .ed magnetic material.

v14:. Means for automatic, electro-magnetic,

wet separation which consists in guiding and 'A retardingmeans carried in position to direct a falling stream of ore and water through the "successive magneticelds of a plurality of `said magnets, means for protecting said mag-k 

